Snowplow



Patented Apr. 16, 1929..

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN W. WOLTEB S, OF FENNVILLE, MICHIGAN.

SNOWPLOW.

Application filed July 25, 1927. Serial No. 208,090.

This invention relates to a snow plow and is particularly concerned with a very simple and efiective plow for removing snow from a road, and having means whereby the snow may be thrown to either side of the road so that it always may be thrown with the wind and not against the wind. This is a very desirable characteristic of the present invention, means being supplied whereby thedirection in which the snow is thrown from the road to the side thereof may be selected and changed whenever desired.

The invention consists of many novel constructive details, combinations and arrangeof the tractor.

. An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the snow plow of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan and horizontal section. e r v Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the plow, substantially on the lines 3+3 of ,Fig. 1.

Fig. A is a fragmentaryhorizontal section on the plane of line H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section substantially onthe plane of line 55' of Fig. 1,

and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the reversing gear mechanism interposed between the engine'and the rotor of the snow low.

Like reference characters refer to. like parts in the differentfigures of the drawing.

' In the construction a frame is provided having two spaced apart beams. 1 connected at their front ends by a cross bar 2. The front end of'each beam 1 is supported on a Wheel 8 swivelly connected to and lying under the beam. At the rear end of each beam 1 an angle 4 is permanently secured which in' 8 located a distance back of the front 5 divides the housing into two compartments.

Attached to and depending at the inner side of each of the beams 1, back of the wheels 3, is plate 9. A scoop 10, having a bottom and spaced apart upwardly extending sides, is located between the plates 9, and the sides are pivotally connected to said plates near their rear edges, use being made of pivot bolts 11 for such purpose. A rod 12 is secured to each side of the scoop near its upper front corner and extends upwardly through a bracket 13, the upper end of each rod 12 being threaded to receive an adjusting hand wheel 14 which threads on the rod and bears against the bracket 13. It is evident that the scoop may be raised or lowered and thus adjusted with respect to the surface of the road over which it passes.

Nhen thedevice is moved over the road snow enters at the front end of the scoop and passes from the scoop through an opening 15 in the front side 5 of the housing described into the front compartment thereof. This front compartment has openings 16 at opposite sides, at the lower side of which is a short chute 17 extending upwardly and outwardly at an angle to the horizontal. Runners 18 are attached to the under side of the housing at the rear thereof to ride on the ground as the device is pushed forwardly. A horizontal bar 19 is fastened to each side of the housing near its lower end and extends a short distance back thereof, the rear ends of the bars being connected by a horizontal cross rod 20. The motive power for pushing the cevice may be supplied by a tractor 21 from which, at the front end, bars 22 extend forward to detachably engage with the rod 20. Accordingly when the tractor is moved in a forward direction the device is pushed over the road riding on the wheels 3 and the runners 18 and the snow is carried through the scoop 10 into the front compartment of the housing. The wheels 3 are of narrow tread whereby they may; be easily pushed through the snow. 7

I Also at each side of .the plow in front of the sheet metal housing a wing 23 is pivotally mounted at its front end and through an adjustable connection of conventional form, indicated at 24, each wing may be adjusted and secured in a desired position so that with coacting clutch member.

42 passes around said pulleys.

the passage of the plow over the road the snow which is not removed and which is at each side of the scoop will be forced outwardly a distance depending upon the angle of the adjustment of the sides 23.

A horizontal shaft 25 is mounted at its rear end ina suitable bearing in the partition plate 8 and at its front end is mounted in a bearing carried by a crossbar 26 extending between the members 9. On this shaft within the front compartment of the housing rotor is mounted. The rotor consists of a rear circular plate 27 of metal to which pairs of channels 28 (see Fig. l) are riveted with the flanges of said channels extending away from each other, the outer or front flanges being- '25 passes. A relatively lar e pulley wheel 31 is fastened to the rear side of the plate 28 immediately in front of the partition 8.

In the rear compartment ofthe housing an engine 32 is located.

the clutch into a gear box also located in the rear compartment of the housing. A bevelled gear 36 is secured to the end of shaft 34 within the gear box and has engagement With two other bevelled gears 37 loosely mounted on a shaft 38 which passes through the gear box at right angles to the shaft 3%. A double faced clutch member 39- issplined on'the shaft 36 betweenthe gears 87, each of which, at its inner side, is equipped with a A lever 40 extends through and is pivotally mounted in a side of the box 35 and is associated withthe clutch member 39 so that it may be moved into connection with either of the gears 37 This is-a conventional reversing gear arrangement as is'evident'. The shaft'38 extends through and has a bearing in the plate 8 and its front end is equipped with a pulleydl in the same plane'with the pulley 31.; An endless belt It is evident that the engine 32 drives the rotor within the front compartment of the housing and't-hat the direction of rotation of the rotor is dependentupon which gear 37 is connected with the clutch 39. The snow accordingly may be thrown outward at selected sidefo'f the road through one of the openings 16, and by operating the reversing lever 40 thedirection of'the rotor may be reversed and the snowth'rown to the opposite side of the road whenever it seems necessary or deslrable. The snow which comes into the front compartment of the housing through the opening 15 is caughtby' the chanlts shaft is connected 1 with a clutch 33 and a shaft 3e extends from nels and carried upwardly and thence thrown outwardly through an opening 16 as is obvious.

At the front end of the shaft 25 a pulley 43 is mounted directly above a smaller pulley l a belt 45 passing around the pulleys. The pulley 4A is fixed on a shaft 46, mounted at the lower end of the bracket 47 depending from.v the cross bar 26. On shaft to, at its front end, a conveying propeller 48 is mounted which in case of heavy snow filling the scoop 10 will help to force the snow into the front eompartment to be engaged by and thrown to one side of the road by the rotor.

This feature, however, portanceb V The construction described, while relaively simple, is very practical. The speed of the tractor pushing the plow may he regulated in accordance to the depth or density ofv the snow to be removed, while the speed of the engine 32 driving the rotor may be increased or diminished as necessitated by the conditions met. The front edge of the scoop- 10 is adjustable so that it will not engage with the road surface and become damaged. it

also close to the wheels 3 so that it is elevated the wheels pass over obstructions in the road. This insures that the scoop will confori substantially to the surface of the road overwhich it passes.

The snow plow is particularly useful on roads which are not fully improved, although, of course, it is quite as useful on fully improved roads which do not have the rough surfaces of the unimproved roads. The snow plow is available for clearing snow from cross roads and the like which at present are seldom or never, cleaned of snow. The inventionis defined in the appended claims, and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structures coming-within their scope.

I claim:- p I 7 1. In a construction of the class describeda frame, wheels'carrying the front end of the frame, a housing attached" at the rear side of the frame divided into front and rear compartments, the front compartment being of cylindrical form and provided with outlet openings at opposite sides and an inlet opening at'its front lower portion, runners on-which the housing is carried, scoop carried bysaid frame in front of the lower por: tion of'said housing whereby snow is carried throughsaid scoop into the front 'compart ment 'of'the housing, a snow ejecting rotor mounted in the'front compartment of the housing for rotation, an engine carried in'the is of but minor inirearcompartment or the housing, means for the direction of with manually operable means for adjusting the position of the scoop, said scoop being mounted adjacent its rear end to turn about a horizontal axis and said adjusting means being connected with the front end of the scoop whereby the front end of the scoop may be raised or lowered.

3. A snow plow comprising a frame, wheels for carrying the front end of the frame, a housing attached to the rear end of the frame, and divided into front and rear compartments, said front compartment being of cylindrical form and having outlet openings in opposite sides thereof and an entrance opening at its front lower side, a rotor mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis in the frontcompartment of said housing, power driving means for turning said rotor located in the rear compartment of the housing, means connecting said power driving means withthe rotor including reversing mechanism for selectively changing the direction of rotation of said rotor and means, and means carried by said frame in front of the housing for directing snow into the front compartment of the housing through its ontrance opening on movement of the plow over a road.

4. A snow plow comprising a frame, a housing attached at the rear end of the frame having a front cylindrical compartment with an outlet opening in the side thereof and an inlet opening at its front, and a back compartment, a rotor mounted in the frontjcompartment to turn about a horizontal axis, means for mounting the frame and housing for movement over a road, power means located in the rear compartment of the lionsing and means connecting the same with the rotor for driving the same, and a scoop pivotally mounted adjacent its rear end on said frame and extending forward in front of the lower front portion of said housing, said scoop having open ends, a bottom and spaced apart sides.

5. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 4 combined with a rod attached to each of said sides of the scoop adjacent the front upper corners thereof, brackets securedto the frame through which said rods pass and hand Wheels threaded on to the upper ends of the rods and hearing against said brackets.

6. In a snow plow a housing divided by a vertical partition into front and rear compartments, said front compartment having outlet openings in opposite sides and an in,- let opening in its front side, a rotor mounted for turning movement about a horizontal axis in said front compartment and an engine carried in the rear compartment of the housing combined with means connecting said engine to the rotor to drive the same, said driving means including a reversing mechanism for selectively changing the direction of rotation of the rotor.

7. In a snow plow, a housing including a compartment of substantially cylindrical form having outlet openings in opposite sides and an inlet opening in the lower portion of the front side, a rotor mounted for rotation to turn about a horizontal axis located in said compartment, said rotor comprising a back plate of circular form, pairs of channels having flanges extending away from each other secured to the front side of said plate, said pairs of channels being radially disposed on the plate, a cover plate connected to and covering the outer flanges of each pair of flanges, and means for driving the rotor in either direction.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

BENJAMIN W. WOLTERS. 

